Sawmill-knee-adjusting mechanism



J. HILL, JR SAWMILL KNEE ADJUSTING mecmmsm. 1 APPLICATION FILED MAR.H,19I8. I 1,327,555 Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l- J. HILL In. ,SAWMILL KNEE ADJUSTING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 11. I918. I 1,327,555, Patented Jan. 6,1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HILL, JR., 0]? DANDRIDGE, TENNESSEE.

SAWMILL-KNEE-ADJUSTING MECHANISM.

Application filed March 11, .918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN HILL, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Dandridge, in the county of Jefferson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Sawmill-Knee- Adjusting Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in saw mill knee adjusting mechanism and it is the principal object of the invention to provide novel receding means whereby the knees can be advanced or receded by a sawyer without the necessity of changing his hold or position and without additional levers or like adjustments.

Other independent objects are to provide features of construction of portions of the mechanism which tend toward the attainment of the above aims irrespective of the relation in which they are used.

In order that the invention anchthe manner of its application may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, I have in the accompanying illustrative drawings and in the detailed following description based thereon, set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the receding. means,

Fig. 2 is a transverse section therethrough,

Fig. 3 is a disassembled perspective showing the rotatable-sleeves and their mounting, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan of the same assembled.

Having more particular reference to the drawings, in connection with which like reference characters will designate corresponding parts, 1 represents a fragment of the headblock, which as will be understood, has knees 2 slidably mounted thereon and capable of being moved by racks 3 arranged in said blocks.

Mounted in suitable bearings on the carriage carrying the headblocks 1 is an operating shaft 4 carrying pinions 5, which as will be noted, mesh with the slidable racks 3. On this operating shaft 4 a ratchet wheel 6 is fixedly mounted and provided with a hub extension 7 serving as means for rotatably supporting a lever 8, said lever having a suitable bearing sleeve 9 arranged in one end thereof and a yoke 10 arranged in the intermediate portion, through which a segmental guide 11 is received.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Serial No. 221,707.

A second but smaller gear 12 is also fixedly mounted on the operating shaft 4 in spaced relation to the ratchet wheel 6 and is engaged by a gear 13 keyed to one end of a stubshaft 14 mounted in suitable bearings 15 on the headblock carriage, said stub-shaft also having a gear 16 mounted upon its remaining end and meshing with the gear 17 loosely mounted on the operating shaft 4 and arranged at a point adjacent the hub extension of the ratchet wheel 6. In this connection, it of course will be understood, that a suitable stop collar is arranged upon the operating shaft and serves as means for preventing undue lateral movement of the compound gear 17 during operation. Further, it will be noted that the teeth formed upon the outer peripheral surface of the gear 17 are in form of the usual ratchet teeth, for a purpose which will be hereinafter more fully described.

Pivotallv mounted on bearing pins 18 arranged on the opposite sides of the lever 8 are pawls 19 and 20 said pawls having fingers 21 arranged thereon and engaged with the adjacent ends of flexible connections 22 and 23.

Pivotally engaged with the upper end of the lever 8 is a bearing pin 24 having a bifurcated extremity 25 and a laterally extending stop 26 formed thereon adjacent thereto. Sleeves 27 and 28 are rotatably mounted in juxtaposed relation on the bearing pin 24 and as will be noted, have their adjacent ends formed with oppositely disposed projections or lugs 29 and recesses 30; said recesses being of sizes greater than the lugs 29. Angle arms 31 are formed integral with the sleeve 28 at opposite points thereon and' are normally maintained in proper position by means of a weighted element 32 also formed integral with the sleeve 28 and rising above the same. To these angle arms 31, the upper ends of the flexible connections 22 and 23 are connected. Hence, when the sleeve 28 is rotated, either of the pawls 19 or 20 will be disengaged from its respective ratchet wheel, depending, of course, upon the direction of movement of said sleeve. To the outer end of the sleeve 27 a reach or handle rod 33 is secured and carries a handle 34 upon its outer end. The sleeve 28 at the end thereof adjacent to toe pin 26 is cut away to form a recess 25 for a portion of the circumference of said end to receive the stop 26 when said sleeve is moved in the direction of the bifurcated end of the lever by manually pulling upon the weight 32 which also constitutes a handle and in this manner separating the sleeves 27 and 28 from each other to allow the sleeve 28 to be independent of said sleeve 27. The pin 24 carries a cotter pin 28 to hold the sleeves 27 and 28 upon said pin 2% as will be apparent.

In operation, to advance the knees 2 the handle 34 is rotated in a direction to cause connection between the rotatable sleeves 27 and 28 and the lifting of the pawls 20; the pawls 19 being permitted to engage their respective ratchet wheels 6. Hence, when the lever 8 is rocked due to the pulling of the handle rod 33, the operating shaft 4 will be rotated for a distance, thereby causing the desired advancing of the knees 2 in a step-by-step fashion. When the knees have been advanced to the desired extent, it then becomes necessary to return the same to their normal positions. Obviously, it is desirable to return these knees with the greatest possible speed, in order that waste of time will be prevented. To accomplish this, the handle 34 is rocked in a direction to rotate the sleeve 2'8 in a manner to cause the lifting of the pawl 19 while the pawl 20 is permitted to engage with its respective ratchet 6, formed on the compound gear 17. Thus, when the lever 8 is rocked, by means of the handle rod 33, a reverse motion will. be imparted to the shaft 4 and the knees will be permitted to return to their normal positions in an efficient and rapid manner. It will be obvious that the pawls 19 and 20 can be actuated by the use of the sleeve 28 independently of the sleeve 27 on separation of the sleeves from each other by pulling upon sleeve 28 in the direction of the handle of the lever 8 when an operator is gripping the latter thus avoiding the turning of the rod 33 and its handle 34.

From the foregoing, it will be readily appreciated by persons skilled in the art, that I have provided a receding mechanism, the construction of which is such as will allow a sawyer to advance and recede the knees of the headblocks without changing his hold or position. As a consequence, a material saving of time and labor is effected, thereby avoiding considerable outlay or additional expense.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerable modification and such modification as is within the scope of my claim, I consider within the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

In an advancing and receding device for the knees of saw mill headblocks, an operating shaft, a ratchet wheel fiXedl i mounted on said shaft, a second ratchet wheel loosely mounted on said shaft, ineans for eflecting connection between the loosely mounted ratchet wheel and the shaft, a lever, pawls piv'otally carried upon the opposite sides of said lever adapted to be alternately engaged with said ratchet wheels, a bearing pin carried upon the upper end of said lever, a pair of rotatable sleeves arranged on said bearing pin, a rms formed integral with one of said sleeves, means for directly rotating the latter sleeve, means for connecting said arms to the pivotal pawls, the sleeves being detachably interlocked and a handle rod e11- gaged with the other sleeve.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature hereto.

JOHN HILL, JR. 

